Tour operator feels left out after Moraine Lake certification denied by Parks Canada – Calgary | 24CA News
An area tour operator feels he’s being not noted after the certification he must deliver vacationers to Moraine Lake was not too long ago denied by Parks Canada.
On Wednesday, Elite Brands Culture Discovery Tour proprietor Jerzy Maslanka stated he acquired an e mail from Parks Canada informing him that his utility to certify his four-passenger Jeep as a commercially registered automobile had been denied, and that it had “made the decision to not allow any vehicles under 11 persons capacity to operate on Moraine Lake Road for the 2023 season.”
“I’m going to be out of the business because the road is going to be opened on June 1, and I am not allowed to operate. Unfortunately, I’m going to lose the job and because of the situation I have right now so many people booked the tours for the summer,” says Maslanka.
The 63-year-old proprietor has been internet hosting excursions out of his Jeep Wrangler for 2 years after retiring from the oil and gasoline trade in 2021.
“I will always be fascinated by the culture, by the history of Alberta,” says Maslanka.
“I thought that before I fully retired, I can share the culture and show the story. Not in a big setting, but just a small environment and make those tours as much meaningful as possible for the visitors to our beautiful province.”
Maslanka says his Jeep was beforehand licensed as a commercially registered automobile over the previous two years with none points.
So far he has 47 bookings together with his firm.
“Right now so many people booked the tours for the summer and I have to contact the people I have to tell them that I cannot take them to Moraine Lake and obviously this is the most beautiful lake. Everybody wants to go and see this lake so if you don’t take them to the lake they will cancel.”
According to Parks Canada, beginning this 12 months the one automobiles that shall be permitted on Moraine Lake Road shall be Parks Canada Shuttles, Roam Public Transit, emergency response automobiles, buses that may transport 11 extra folks together with the driving force, and taxis with a business license to function in Banff.
“They’re saying the taxi business industry can operate and take two people tomorrow and so they discriminate … They are saying taxis are better than the tour operators. Taxi drivers are not guides. They’re not qualified to do this,” he says.
Maslanka will nonetheless be permitted to function excursions in vacationer locations equivalent to Jasper and Columbia Icefield however says Moraine Lake is the extra fashionable vacation spot amongst his shoppers.
Moraine Lake Road is closed to private automobiles all 12 months spherical.
Maslanka says he has already written a letter to the assorted ranges of presidency and plans to seek the advice of with a lawyer within the coming days.
“I need to be in business I need this money to you know to survive and I need to put my passion and take the people and show them that our province is beautiful, the Rockies are beautiful,” he says.
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